Send us a text Welcome to Jay Gardner, UTD's new Director of Development! Jay joins Jeff and Ben as the third member of UTD's management team, bring a lifetime of experience with companies both large and small. Jay started his journey in UTD as a coaching client, then an instructor candidate, then an instructor. After a short stint in Austin, Texas, Jay and his family are back in San Diego. We're grateful to have Jay join us. This episode serves as his introduction to our global community of div...
Oct 27, 2023•34 min•Ep. 78
Send us a text This is a short addendum to my previous carcast on quitting. In this quick episode I add a little info, this time about when it's okay to quit. There is a time and place for everything and sometimes the best thing is to "know when to fold 'em." Thoughts and ideas? Contact us here: https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/
Oct 26, 2023•14 min•Ep. 77
Send us a text "Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run." Great words to live by. In this carcast, actually recorded as a "hikecast" during this year's solar eclipse, Jeff looks at some of the mental and physical elements of quitting – quitting a class, quitting a training path, quitting anything. But, more importantly, how to avoid some of the traps of quitting and what you can learn from teetering on the edge of "quit or succeed." Comments or thou...
Oct 14, 2023•26 min•Ep. 76
Send us a text Let's breathe without bubbles. In this episode, the first or two or three, Jeff and Ben look at all things rebreathers. In this first part: the what, why, how and the joys of diving rebreathers. In future episodes we will look at the traps of diving rebreathers, the training progression, and answer your questions. If there is anything you'd like us to talk about, send a note and we'll add it in. Contact us here: https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/...
Oct 06, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 75
Send us a text A live episode with slightly sketchy audio, although it was a technical marvel. Ben and three of his tech students in Norway, Jeff via cell phone from San Diego. In this episode we take live questions from the students who just completed their tech training. Ratio Deco adjustments, diving with non-UTD buddies after your class, and much more. https://utdscubadiving.com/utd-scuba-coaching/ https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 74
Send us a text Consistency and compliance. Or is it compliance and consistency? Either way, these are the two hallmarks of a great client relationship with their coach and coaching program. In this carcast, Jeff takes a look at how consistency and compliance inform the best possible training for scuba divers. If you are just chasing a certification card, the UTD Coaching Program may not be for you. But if your goals and desires are to become the best scuba diver you can possibly be, then have a ...
Aug 25, 2023•29 min•Ep. 73
Send us a text Following two weeks of UTD classes in San Diego, and a few minutes before Ben heads back to the airport to return to Denmark, we chat about how this series of classes went for both the instructors and the students.
Aug 10, 2023•12 min•Ep. 72
Send us a text In this episode Jeff sits with UTD Scuba Coaching client Lisa Huynh the day after she completed UTD Essentials of Rec. Lisa explores how she got her start with coaching, the benefits of integrating UTD's in-water training with the coaching program, her experiences with her prior training, and much more. For more info on UTD Scuba Coaching, click here: https://utdscubadiving.com/utd-scuba-coaching/...
Aug 03, 2023•23 min•Ep. 71
Send us a text The rebreather. Is it a wildly complex thing that rivals something that could fly to the moon? Or is it simply a bag you breathe into that scrubs out the CO2 and allows for longer bottom times? Or something in the middle? In this episode Jeff and Ben look at the simple yet complex story of rebreather diving...how to get started, the benefits, the dangers, the challenges, and much more. For more info on rebreather diving, contact us here....
May 16, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 70
Send us a text Your "Path to Mastery" is a buzzword (or buzz-phrase) that's been around forever but, what does it really mean and how can you take your path to becoming great at one thing and apply it to becoming great at something else (like scuba)? In this carcast, recorded on an endless, rainy drive from San Diego to Las Vegas, I explore the path to becoming good at something, then how you can take the process of that path and apply it to something new. Need a new purpose? Need a new hobby? N...
May 05, 2023•33 min•Ep. 69
Send us a text In April this year UTD went through an audit with EUF, the European Underwater Federation and received certification that the UTD training systems are in compliance with ISO standards. ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, creates standards for many industries, including scuba training. However ISO does not certify or confirm that a company is operating with the scope of those standards. That's where the EUF comes in. EUF is a certification agency that certifies...
Apr 17, 2023•24 min•Ep. 68
Send us a text Estamos en el tercer día del curso de desarrollo de instructores de UTD. En este podcast cortito realizamos una pequeña entrevista a los candidatos a instructores para saber cuáles son sus percepciones del curso hasta el momento. Para saber cómo hacerse instructor UTD, pinchar aquí.
Apr 15, 2023•19 min•Ep. 67
Send us a text Just a few minutes after the UTD Instructor Development Course ended at the Rivemar Dive Center in La Azohia, Spain, Jeff and Ben sat down with the four English-speaking instructor candidates to get their take on the week...how it went, their expectations, and much more. For information on becoming a UTD Instructor, click here....
Apr 15, 2023•21 min•Ep. 66
Send us a text We did it again, another carcast. This one we recorded on our road trip from Madrid, where Alan and I just picked up Ben at the airport, on our way to the Rivemar Dive Center in La Azohia, our host for this instructor development course. In this episode we discuss the upcoming class, the journeys of some of the instructor candidates that brought them to the IDC, and our expectations for this upcoming week. For more information on becoming a UTD Instructor, click here....
Apr 13, 2023•32 min
Send us a text This is The Random Episode – we've collected questions from the past few weeks and here a some of the obscure and random things we covered in this episode: Why are there various low pressure inflator connectors? Why is our compass NOT on a boot with the SPG? Can we do a "swimming" deco stop, or to we have to hold still and be serious? Does Ratio Deco scale to rebreathers and cave diving? Why don't we use ball valves on our scuba cylinders? Can you use a wet suit as a dry suit unde...
Apr 08, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 64
Send us a text The Big Scuba Podcast, a show based in the UK and hosted by my new friends Ian and Gemma, explores all things scuba. They got interested in the UTD Scuba Coaching Program, so we started talking about that, but quickly moved to UTD's philosophy, teaching ethos, and history. For me, it was back to basics, forcing me to define, to people not familiar with UTD, why us – why choose us, what makes us different, where did coaching come from, and much, much more. Have a listen, and check ...
Mar 07, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 63
Send us a text Recurrent training is a thing in many, many industries. Flying is where recurrent training is the most obvious – pilots are required to complete various scheduled trainings to keep their certificates current and diving should be no different. Since our inception, UTD has always had a structured recurrent training program called the Annual Dive Review. This is modeled after flying's Biannual Flight Review, something that has been in place for pilots for decades. In this episode Jef...
Feb 15, 2023•39 min•Ep. 62
Send us a text Trying something new here...a "car-pod," or "pod-car," or "car podcast," or something. In any case, I was in traffic for about two hours and had some time to think about, then record, a short podcast on choosing a coach, staying with a coach, leaving a coach, and much more. But most importantly, how to apply what you learn in the UTD Scuba Coaching Program to not only diving, but to the rest of your life. UTD Scuba Coaching Program: https://utdscubadiving.com/utd-scuba-coaching/ C...
Feb 05, 2023•24 min•Ep. 61
Send us a text En enero de 2023 hemos completado el Castilla Cave Tour. En este viaje hemos visitado algunas de las cuevas más icónicas del centro de España. Empezamos en el Pozo Azul que es actualmente la cueva con mayor desarrollo explorado en Europa con +13km de longitud. Fuente Azul es una de las cuevas más profundas con una cota de -130m. Fuentenavina http://www.espeleogaem.org/fuentenavina/s_fuentenavina.htm es una cueva bastante cerrada con un desarrollo de unos 700m a través de unos tubo...
Jan 11, 2023•12 min•Ep. 60
Send us a text In 2022 I was invited to speak at the Undersea Hyperbaric Medical Society's scientific meeting. This was in the ORCA project: Operational Resilience and Cognitive Awareness, quite a mouthful, but basically it was a meeting about human factors in scuba diving. In UTD we have been teaching human factors in our training programs since day one, but there is a secret. Listen to this short talk to learn the secret to teaching human factors in scuba diving. Jeff As always, let us know if...
Dec 15, 2022•22 min•Ep. 59
Send us a text Incident and accident reporting. Is it good for scuba or terrifying for scuba? In this episode Jeff and Ben are joined by Diver Alert Network's Cat Harris. Cat manages DAN's incident reporting system. Should scuba take a page from general aviation, an industry that has consistently published accident data and analysis? Or should scuba continue to hide behind the idea that telling anyone there could be some danger associated with scuba is just bad for business. Also joining us is A...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 58
Send us a text Why no bungees? Why no double bladders? Do you need an STA? Why are they all black? In this episode Jeff and Ben tackle these questions and many more as they dig into the ins and outs, and ups and downs of BCDs, wings, dumps, and bladders. Questions? Comments? You can reach us by clicking here.
Nov 26, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 57
Send us a text Immediately following the DEMA show in Orlando, Ben taught a Tech 1 course in the Florida keys. He was joined by three students and UTD Instructor James Mott, who flew down to co-teach with Ben. The team decided to record a podcast in three parts, one at the beginning, right after the first day, one in the middle, and one after the final dive. In this episode you will hear thoughts and insights from both instructors and all three students as they progress through their Tech 1 clas...
Nov 16, 2022•51 min•Ep. 56
Send us a text During the 2022 DEMA Show in Orlando, Florida, Ben presented in the Technical Resource Area on how ascent strategies can and should change and how Ratio Deco has changed over the decades to become Ratio Deco 3.0. Plus a little history on decompression strategies and algorithms, along with a dose of how are bodies deal with inert gas at higher pressures. The audio is a bit rough as this was recorded on the trade show floor. Purchase the Ratio Deco 3.0 Online Course Materials, click...
Nov 04, 2022•51 min•Ep. 55
Send us a text We are back at the DEMA Show, this year in Orlando, Jeff did a short presentation in the Technical Resource center about the UTD Scuba Coaching Program. This talk is a synopsis of scuba coaching – what it is, how it works, and, most importantly, the benefits for the students/clients. https://utdscubadiving.com/utd-scuba-coaching/...
Nov 01, 2022•17 min•Ep. 54
Send us a text This episode is extracted from the UTD Instructor Meeting in Madrid October 21, 2022. Jeff in English, interpreted into Spanish by UTD instructor Alan Weinberg talks about new UTD courses – Advanced Diver vs. Rec 2, the new Oxygen Cleanup Course, the UTD Scuba Coaching Program, and the new UTD Skills Camps. Then training director Ben Bos, also interpreted into Spanish by Alan, looks at the recent changes that were made to Ratio Deco 3.0. Huge thanks to Alan for coordinating the in...
Oct 23, 2022•44 min•Ep. 53
Send us a text Curiosity Projects – for us these are fascinating diving projects that involve science, research, or some other socially conscious reason for being. In this episode, recorded during the 2022 UTD EU Instructor and Community Meeting in Madrid, Spain, we are joined by UTD instructors Alan Weinberg and Andrej Gaspar along with Martin Strmiska to discuss current and future curiosity projects. https://curiosity-projects.org/ Contact UTD...
Oct 22, 2022•39 min•Ep. 52
Send us a text This episode started as a deep dive (are we tired of that pun yet) into gas management, but quickly changed into an Obscure Question episode on managing your cylinders. Jeff and Ben look at diving steel tanks in side mount, diving double steel tanks in a wetsuit, why we do a valve drill, why not breathe from a tank that is slowly leaking, and much more. And, as a bonus, there is a riddle at the end of the episode...answer correctly and win cool prizes! Contact us anytime (and subm...
Oct 16, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 51
Send us a text Well, here we are. It's the 50th podcast, and it's kind of a milestone for us. It's been tons of fun producing these and we have every intention of continuing. For this episode we thought we'd give you a little insight into the more personal side of Jeff and Ben so, we came up with a list of questions for each other. Here are a few of the things we cover: What was your greatest failure as an instructor? If you were the president/CEO of PADI, what is the first change you would impl...
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 50
Send us a text In this episode Jeff and Ben go after a random collection of questions that have come in recently: If I live in the U.S. should I learn the metric system for diving? Should you exercise before or after diving? How to shore dive side mount? Integrated boots or rock boots on a dry suit? What is the best scuba diving car? My traveling gear bag weights 55lbs/27kg...what to do? How to deal with different protocols when diving with divers from other organizations? Have a questions? Emai...
Aug 12, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 49
